The sight of a dozen white Pekin ducks calmly swimming through the waters of Bayou St. John is a beautiful thing -- except to certain neighbors who see the waterfowl as a nasty nuisance.

These disparate views of duckdom have had feathers flying along the historic waterway. While most folks find the ducks a welcome presence, some quack -- through the Internet, at least -- about their displeasure.

"With the new population of ducks along the area of Bayou St. John near Grand Rte. St. John & Moss, I notice that there is also a new explosion (of sorts) of feathers and duck poop," wrote one neighbor in an online neighborhood bulletin board.

Acknowledging the beauty of "the feathered creatures," the writer added, "I now avoid that area due to my doggie's savory appetite for feathers and duck poop, and of course do not want a huge vet bill."

"The duck mess, the seeds, the feathers, make this section of the area dirty and to be avoided by walkers of all ages," another person wrote.

Eliot Kamenitz/The Times-PicayuneA supporter of the Bayou St. John ducks posted a sign along Moss Street.

The Great Duck Flap began innocently enough earlier this summer.

Though there long have been ducks in other sections of the bayou, the area near the intersection of Moss Street and Grand Route St. John had been largely duckless.

Having happily tended and released two adult ducks early in the year, Mark and Sara Landrieu released a dozen ducklings they'd been raising in cages in their backyard.

The couple continued to feed the ducks. Then, to make it easier for little ducklings to get on shore, they built a ramp for them to walk on.

By wildlife standards, it's a life of ease. The birds know that every evening Landrieu or his wife will come by with a bucket of duck food pellets for them.

But they are no gluttons, these ducks.

On a recent afternoon, they quacked as usual when they saw Mark Landrieu get out of his car. But they didn't bother to come ashore when he called them for their feeding.

Unbeknownst to Landrieu, his wife had fed them a half-hour earlier. The ducks were sated.

Mark Landrieu, a member of the Landrieu political family, thinks the ducks are less of a menace than their more ardent opponents would have you believe.

"My theory is that there were like two or three people who wrote something less than positive on the neighborhood blog," Landrieu said. "So many people love the ducks, and they started posting on the Web page.

"Now it looks like it's a big deal. But it's really only two or three people who don't like the ducks.

"I can't tell you how may people stop by and comment, 'Man, I love the ducks. Where did you get them?' " he said.

Not all of the ducks' critics are entirely serious in their remarks.

One writer offered several options for ending the duck crisis, including settling the affair with a knife and fork.

"Have a 'feed-the-hungry' day with a festival-like duck bar-B-que on the banks of BSJ featuring local duck crafts and music, " the writer suggested.

"Introduce more alligators into the bayou to promote a balance of nature -- this of course would necessitate the need for Alligator Aversion Training for all dogs and children of the neighborhood -- presumably alligators poop in the water?" the writer added.

Though some neighbors have stirred the waters of this teapot tempest, others are perplexed at the commotion.

Kenneth, a model boat hobbyist who lives near the bayou and preferred not to give his last name, spoke for those who are confused.

"They're complaining about the ducks in the water, their natural habitat? Are they complaining about the birds in the air?"

But Vivian Cahn, a self-described environmentalist, said it might be too early to judge whether releasing these ducks was a good idea.

"What is going to happen if there are three generations of ducks?" she said. "I don't know if this little group of ducks is going to breed and suddenly there would be about 300 little ducks.

"Overpopulation and overcrowding, those are problems in every city. I don't want to see it happen on the bayou."

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Lolis Eric Elie can be reached at lelie@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3330.